- A program at Michigan State University aims to train law enforcement on cyber attacks
- McLaren Hospital is days removed from a cyber attack
- Video shows MSU professor explaining when the program will begin
Michigan State University is ready to train law enforcement on a type of crime that's on the rise.
Cyberattacks went up dramatically in 2023 according to data from the Identity Theft Resource Center. The ITRC tracked 3,205 compromises totaling 353,027,892 total victims, a 72% increase from 2021.
MSU criminal justice professor Tom Holt says cybercrimes are a tremendous problem and that there's no way to understand how wide the problem stretches.
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"There's financial crimes that occur that can cause thousands of dollars in damages to individuals," Holt said.
MSU is now fighting back by offering a cyberattack training course for law enforcement. The university received $1 million in April to build a training center that's expected to open in the fall.
"Our expectation is that we'll have training programs to offer by September or October," Holt said. "It's just a question for us of making sure that we can broadly advertise the training to multiple agencies across the state."
MSU is partnering with Michigan State Police and other agencies across the state. Holt says there's not much a person can do if they're victims of cybercrimes.
Holt adds that it's best to think about the information you post online and on social media in order to minimize your risk of being hacked.
"Social connections are great... But what are the downstream consequences too?" Holt said. "They're hard conversations but they're worth having."
Last week, McLaren Hospital dealt with a cyber attack that briefly disrupted information technology and phone systems.
Late Monday, McLaren Hospital provided an update to the situation:
"Emergency Services
Emergency departments continue to be operational and open to patients arriving for care. A few locations are on ambulance diversion for certain conditions (meaning emergency teams will transport patients to the next closest facility), and those locations remain in regular communication with their local medical control authorities to ensure efficient coordination between facilities. The Comprehensive Stroke Centers at McLaren Flint and McLaren Macomb, though, are fully operational.
Cancer Care
As of August 12, all radiation therapy units at Karmanos Cancer Institute care facilities across the state are operational – with some sites having started treating patients over the weekend. This includes Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in Farmington Hills and the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint. Patients whose appointments were delayed should expect a call from their care team, who are working diligently to reschedule appointments.
Primary and Specialty Care Clinics
Primary and specialty care offices are largely operational and patients can make appointments, though some continue to experience intermittent issues with their phone systems. Additionally, the McLarenNow virtual care platform is fully operational and can be accessed at mclaren.org/now.
Patient Guidelines
Our team members continue to have limited access to information technology systems so patients may experience longer than usual wait times. Patients are requested to bring the following information to their appointment:
- A list of current medications or empty prescription bottles
- Printed physician orders for imaging studies or treatments
- Printed results of recent lab tests available in the patient portals
- A list of allergies
We remain truly grateful for the tireless effort and dedication displayed by our team members under these demanding circumstances, and we sincerely regret any impact this cyber attack may have had on our patients."
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